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People like to think - or hope -
that they can stop emotional eating once and for all,
and never have to deal with it again. But you don't ever
forget the old behaviors, and it's dangerous to think
that one day you'll be immune. If you have this
unrealistic expectation, then even the urge to eat
emotionally can make you feel like a failure.
The truth is - based on both my own
experience and years of working with others - that once
you have used food to soothe emotional pain, the impulse
never goes away completely. People have a natural
tendency to revert to old comfort behaviors, especially
when under stress.
What stands between the urge and
the action is awareness - the tools you learn in Normal
Eating®. If you feel an urge to eat emotionally, sit
with the feeling and discover what it's about. Maybe
you'll sit for 15 minutes, and then end up eating
anyway. But that 15 minutes is still an important
success.
Every minute you pause is a victory
because you have to be able to pause before you can
stop. Change is incremental. The trigger to eat is in
the moment, overeating is in the moment, and recovery is
in the moment.
In the beginning, your moments of
recovery are spaced out - rare. Then they become more
and more frequent until eventually it takes a major
trigger to prompt emotional eating. It's not like you
flip a switch and then you're fixed. Recovery is a
continuum - you get more and more solid. Over time it
will take more and more to trigger you into eating
emotionally, and you'll get back on track quicker and
quicker.
Daily reminders and support such as
the Normal Eating eBook and support forum are a good way
to stay on track.
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